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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
According to court documents obtained by ESPN, an arbitrator has asked Limas Limas for a temporary restraining order allowing leading baseball agent William Arroyo to continue representing clients while he pursues his appeal of disbarment. Sports' request was denied.
The decision was made Friday by arbitrator Michael Gottesman. On Monday, the Major League Baseball Players Association filed a motion in the Southern District of New York asking the court to uphold his decision.
Arroyo's agent certification was initially revoked on April 10 following an MLBPA investigation into inappropriate benefits provided to players. Jonathan Miranda and Noah Assad, two prominent executives at Bad Bunny's agency, also had their applications denied. Michael Velazquez, another certified agent who recently joined Limas, must leave the agency by May 10 or face the possibility of losing his certification, a person familiar with the situation said. said the person.
The MLBPA's penalties against Limas include a $400,000 fine against Arroyo and a five-year suspension, according to officials. Additionally, the notice of disciplinary action will prevent Miranda and Assad from applying for agent certification for five years, officials said. If the ruling is upheld, it would effectively end Limas Sports' short-term efforts to represent baseball players in contract negotiations with major league teams. A person familiar with the situation told ESPN that Limas plans to file a full appeal of the decision through the American Arbitration Association by the May 10 deadline. Spokespeople for the MLBPA and Limas declined to comment.
Within a week of Limas officially taking over in mid-April 2023, the MLBPA received evidence that the company was offering cash and gifts to players to transfer offices, according to officials. It is said that Article 5 of the MLBPA's Agent Regulations states that no agent may “offer or offer money or anything else of value to any player, or any person related to or affiliated with such player, for the purpose of persuasion.” “You must not make any offer or promise to provide any.” Ask him to join or stay with the agency.
Bad Bunny, the world-famous Puerto Rican rapper and singer, launched a sports management company in April 2023 with his manager Assad, who also founded the independent record label Remas Entertainment. Miranda was accepted as president. With this launch, Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio's stage name) launched Roc Nation's sports management division in 2013, signing hip-hop icon Jay-Z as a major client across sports. wanted to follow in his footsteps. NBA's LaMelo Ball, NFL's Saquon Barkley, MLB's CC Sabathia, etc.
Limas Sports focuses on young baseball players in Latin America, including New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, Mets infield prospect Ronnie Mauricio, Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, and Cincinnati Reds infielder Santiago.・Espinal has invited Los Angeles Dodgers catcher candidate Diego Cartaya. Officials said most of those players wanted to be placed on the MLBPA's no-contact list, preventing other agents from scouting them while Limas' status was unstable.
The company recently signed current National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. and is currently handling his marketing contract. Mr. Limas was expected to eventually represent Acuña on baseball matters, according to a person familiar with the matter. However, the MLBPA's investigation and subsequent disposition cast serious doubt on this.
ESPN's Jeff Passan and Jorge Castillo contributed to this report.
